| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 56,797 (2019)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Florida (Greater Miami),Georgia (Metro Atlanta),Alabama,Kentucky,Maryland,Delaware,New York (Greater New York),Pennsylvania,Massachusetts,Washington,Texas,Colorado,Minnesota andCalifornia[citation needed] Smaller numbers parts of the country includingNew Jersey,Rhode Island,Connecticut,Illinois,Wisconsin,Virginia,North Carolina,Missouri,Iowa,South Dakota andTennessee | |
| Languages | |
| English (American English,Bahamian English),Bahamian Creole | |
| Religion | |
| Anglicanism · Baptism · Church of God · Methodism · Roman Catholicism · Obeah · Islam (minority) |
Bahamian Americans are an ethnic group ofCaribbean Americans ofBahamianancestry. There are an estimated 56,797 people of Bahamian ancestry living in the US as of 2019.[2]
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Bahamians began visiting theFlorida Keys in the 18th century tosalvage wrecked ships, fish, catch turtles and log tropical hardwood trees. A Bahamian settlement in the Keys was reported in 1790, but the presence of Bahamians in the Keys was temporary. Early in the 19th century some 30 to 40 Bahamian ships were working in the Keys every year. After 1825, Bahamian wreckers began moving toKey West in large numbers.[3][4]
Bahamians were among the first West Indians to immigrate to the mainland US in the late nineteenth century. Many went to Florida to work in agriculture or to Key West to labor in fishing, sponging, and turtling. Two main factors that contributed to increased Bahamian migration were the poor economic climate and opportunities in the Bahamas, as well as the short distance from the Bahamas to Miami. Southern Florida developed Bahamian enclaves in certain cities including Lemon City, Coconut Grove, andCutler. In 1896, foreign-born blacks comprised 40 percent of the black population of Miami, making Miami the largest foreign-born black city in the US aside from New York. Bahamians in Florida created their own institutions, most notably Episcopal churches. Initially, Miami was a relative place of tolerance for blacks because Miami was so disconnected from the rest of the United States. Blacks were originally allowed to vote in Miami and about 44% of people who voted to incorporate Miami in 1896 were black. Without the black voters, Miami could not have reached the minimum 300 voters required under state law for a city to incorporate. However, things would decline for Miami blacks soon after incorporation as the city became more connected to the rest of the US, and blacks would not be allowed to vote again in Miami until the 1960s.[5][6] In the early 20th century in Miami, blacks could not vote, were persecuted by epithets in Miami press, and were not allowed to stay in the hotels that employed them. In 1921, theKu Klux Klan staged a large rally attacking Bahamian immigrants in Miami.[7]
Between 1900 and 1920 between ten and twelve thousand Bahamians moved to Florida, mostly to do agricultural labor, often on a seasonal basis. Florida farmers convinced the U.S. Congress to exempt Caribbean and Latin American émigrés from theEmergency Quota Act of 1921.[8] Starting in 1943 Bahamian workers came to Florida under the British West Indian (BWI) Temporary Labor Program.[9] This program was under the control of private growers from 1947 to 1966. Growers favored Bahamian workers because they "can be forced to work a regular work program or be deported."[8]
The majority of Bahamian Americans, about 21,000 in total, live in and around Miami, with the Bahamian community centered in the Coconut Grove neighborhood in Miami. There is also a growing Bahamian American population in the Atlanta and Oklahoma City areas.
Although the majority of Bahamian Americans live in theSouthern United States, a large population can be found in theNew York City area, with the population particularly centered inHarlem. Bahamian Americans in the New York City area regularly provide cultural education and entertainment, particularly due to the Office of the Bahamas Consulate General in New York being located in the city.
White Bahamian Americans in Florida were often referred to as "Conchs," and their communities in Key West andRiviera Beach were sometimes referred to as "Conch Towns." In 1939, theWorks Progress Administration (WPA) conducted a study of white Bahamian Americans in Riviera Beach, eventually published asConchtown USA.[10] Many white Bahamians also settled in Miami, particularly in the Coconut Grove neighborhood, and inTarpon Springs.[11]
The top US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Bahamian ancestry are:[12]
Bahamian Americans have retained much of their cultural heritage. Bahamian Americans listen to and performJunkanoo andrake-and-scrape music, engage in the classic art ofWest Indianstorytelling about characters likeAnansi, and create Bahamian-style art, especiallystraw weaving andcanvas art.
Bahamian foods staples such asconch,peas and rice,Johnny cake, and desserts includingduff (food)s (especiallyguava) continue to be made by Bahamian Americans.Bahamian dialect is also spoken by many Bahamian Americans, especially in Florida.
As of 2010, Bahamian Americans were the most educatedWest Indian Americans in the USA. 39.1% of the Bahamian American population of 25 years and over held college degrees. There were 22,763 Bahamian Americans 25 years and older in the country according to the 2010 census. 9.9% held associate degrees, 17.5% held bachelor's degrees, and 11.7% held graduate or professional degrees. 29.2% held bachelor's degrees or higher.
[13]In New York State, 46.7% of Bahamian Americans 25 years and older held degrees. 18.5% held Graduate or Professional degrees, 20.6% held bachelor's degrees, with 7.6% holding associate degrees.
In Georgia 51.1% of Bahamian Americans 25 years and older held college degrees. 18.6% held Graduate or Professional degrees, 25.1% held bachelor's degrees, with 7.4% holding associate degrees.
In Florida 32% of Bahamian Americans 25 years and older held college degrees. 7.8% held Graduate or Professional degrees, 12.6% held bachelor's degrees, with 11.6% holding associate degrees.[13]
In 2010 census the average Bahamian American family household earned $61,070 annually, with the average household earning about $57,000. The median income for family household was $46,196 and the median for household was $42,000.
35 percent of working Bahamian Americans had occupations in Business, science, and arts, 27 percent had positions in sales and office occupations, 24 percent had occupation in service related jobs, 6 percent held jobs in natural resources, construction and maintenance, and 8% in production, transportation, and material moving.
About 20% of the Bahamian American population were living in poverty in 2010.[13]
Both the Bahamian American Cultural Society and the Bahamian American Association Inc., the largest Bahamian American organizations in the United States, are located inManhattan. These organizations providecultural education services, social opportunities, andgenealogical records to Bahamian Americans and those interested in Bahamian and Bahamian American culture.
The National Association of the Bahamas, located in Miami, offers primarily social opportunities for the local Bahamian American community.
The Council for Concerned Bahamians Abroad is a foundation which represents the interests and concerns of Bahamians, and Friends of the Bahamas domiciled outside the Bahamas. Its primary role is to serve as a voice for the economic and family interests of its constituents, and to monitor, analyze, and report on issues and policies that affect these interests. It also operates "Bring It Home Initiatives" (BIHI), projects designed to assist in the development of the Bahamas in seven areas, Education, Business & Industry, Investments & Financial Services, Health & Social Development, Community Development & Sports, Arts & Entertainment, and Tourism.[14]
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